Background and objective: Cyclooxygenases (COX), the key enzymes in the conversion of arachidonic acid (AA) to prostaglandins (PGs), are involved in initiation and progression of cancer. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between the expressions of COX-2 and several transcription factors in non-small cell lung cancer.
Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed to assay the expression levels of COX-2, c-Fos, c-Jun and nuclear factor of activated T cells 3 (NFAT3) in tissue microarray containing 159 tumor tissues of non-small cell lung cancer.
Results: The positive rate of COX-2 expression was 42.8%, and the expression of COX-2 was significantly higher in squamous cell carcinoma than that in adenocarcinoma (52.9% vs 31.3%, χ²=7.723, P=0.005). The expression of COX-2 was significantly associated with differentiation grade, with the lower level in the poorer differentiation grade group (χ²=7.600, P=0.022). In this panel of samples, the expression of COX-2 was significantly correlated with c-Fos expression (r=0.456, P<0.001) and NFAT3 level (r=0.294, P<0.001). The correlation between the expressions of NFAT3 and c-Fos were also observed (r=0.231, P=0.003).
Conclusion: The expression of COX-2 was significantly associated with the expressions of transcription factors NFAT3 and c-Fos in nonsmall cell lung cancer.
背景与目的: 环氧化酶2（cyclooxygenase 2, COX-2）是前列腺素合成过程的关键酶，在肿瘤的发生发展中发挥重要作用。COX-2的表达受多种转录因子的调节。
方法: 本研究利用含有159例非小细胞肺癌的组织芯片，通过免疫组化检测COX-2、原癌基因c-fos编码产物（c-Fos蛋白）、原癌基因c-jun编码产物（c-Jun蛋白）以及活性T细胞核因子3（nuclear factor of activated T cells 3, NFAT3）的表达情况，分析其表达之间的关系及其与临床病理因素之间的相关性。
结果: 159例肺癌标本中COX-2阳性表达率为42.8%，在鳞癌中阳性表达率高于腺癌（52.9% vs 31.3%, χ2=7.723, P=0.005）。COX-2的表达与分化程度相关，分化越好表达水平越高（χ2=7.600, P=0.022）。159例肺癌标本中，COX-2与c-Fos的表达具有相关性（r=0.456, P < 0.001），COX-2与NFAT3的表达具有相关性（r=0.294, P < 0.001），NFAT3与c-Fos表达之间也具有相关性（r=0.231, P=0.003）。
结论: 在非小细胞肺癌组织中COX-2的表达与转录因子NFAT3和c-Fos的表达明显相关。